When Alicia first walked into the photo shoot, we thought it would almost be a waste of time to apply make up to her. Although she isn’t a professional model, just the roommate of one of our employees, she is clearly a very beautiful girl. Putting makeup on her seemed a little like “gilding the lily.” And we thought that you, our readers and customers, might feel as if we were going the route of traditional cosmetics companies, who show their products on gorgeous models in an attempt to increase sales because, well, who doesn’t want to look like that?
But sometime after the photo shoot, someone accidentally opened one of the “before” shots of Alicia. We were amazed. Although there is no denying how beautiful she is without a stitch of makeup, we couldn’t believe what a difference just a few Alima Pure products made.
That got us thinking, so we looked back at some of our other “before” shots. (Unfortunately, we weren’t diligent about doing “before” shots at every photo shoot!) Sure enough, we also had before and after shots of Kelly and Melissa, two more of our Naturally Gorgeous women. And so we have presented them here, on our “Amazing” page for you to enjoy. The details about what we used on each of them are also found on that page.
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If you are concerned about what is in the cosmetics that you wear, then certainly you have hesitated to purchase Halloween makeup for your children. Those thick, greasy colors made in China can’t be good for the glowing, healthy skin of a small child, can they?
Luckily, choosing a safe Halloween does not mean settling for a boring costume. Alima Pure cosmetics are safe for all ages, and you can create any look your little trick-or-treaters desires, from a cute kitten to a scary zombie. Let your imagination run wild.
Look #1 – Cute kitten.
For this simple look, we used Onyx Satin Matte Eyeliner with water. We painted on whiskers, outlined the nose, and lined the upper eyelid. On the lid, we winged the liner out past the edge of the eye, and then curved down under the eye to create a more rounded, dramatic cat eye. We dabbed some Satin Matte Blush in Pink onto the tip of the nose, and slicked a little Organic Nourishing Lip Balm in Rhubarb on her lips. Add a pair of kitty ears and your little cat is ready to prowl!
Look #2 – Fairy Princesses
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For these cute little princesses, we kept the look simple. We started with a little Luminous Shimmer Shadow in Hellebore right under the brows on each girl. Then we used bright, shimmering eyeshadow, applied with a damp brush all over their lids. (From left to right, Aegean, Amethyst and Leone.) Then we dusted Luminous Shimmer Powder in Lumina all over their faces. Satin Matte Blush in Pink went on the apples of their cheeks, and Organic Nourishing Lip Balm in Rhubarb was applied to their lips. Add a pretty dress, wings, maybe a headband or crown, and they are totally fancy!
Look #3 – Rock Star
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This was a first for Alima, applying makeup to boys for a photo shoot! We think the results speak for themselves, but before we begin, a warning. Do not attempt this at home if you have a child (or adult), who has a difficult time sitting still. Peter, seen here in “Cat Man” face, was in the makeup chair for close to 45 minutes because of the complexity of his design.
For both boys, we started with Satin Matte Eyeshadow in White, mixed with water and applied with a large brush. Because we were going to be shooting this under lights, we did not do the whole face in white, and then paint the other colors over, because we were worried that the black would appear grey with the flash. If you are just sending someone off to a party or trick-or-treating, however, it may be fine to do the entire face in white, then paint the other colors over the top. We sketched the designs on with black first, so the white was painted up to the edges of the black. After it was applied, we layered on more white with a #15 Flat Top Foundation Brush and a sponge. Then we mixed Satin Matte Eyeliner in Black with water and painted it on with a smaller brush for the black areas. ”Cat Man” has green around his eyes, we used Luminous Shimmer Shadow in London, mixed with water. For the grey tip of his nose, we mixed Pearluster Eye Shadow in Zen with water. Evan, in his “Star Child” makeup was a little simpler, but in case your wig allows more eyes to show than his does, remember that the eye without the star needs to be completely covered in white, and that a strong black brow should be painted over that eye. For both boys, we finished with Nourishing Lip Balm in Holly Berry. Neither one wanted to take the makeup off after the photo shoot, so they wore it for several hours at home. It looked good and fresh for several hours, but after 3 or 4 hours the white, because it was applied so heavily, did start to flake off. Plan your activities accordingly! Black “rock star” wigs completed the look for both boys.
You’d practically have to live under a rock to miss the fact that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. The pink products start taking over store shelves in September, and in past years the offerings ran the gamut from jewelry in the shape of a pink ribbon to vacuum cleaners and car tires. In the beauty category, especially, there are hundreds of offerings of special “pink” products, with portions of the sales of each item going to one of the non-profit organizations that are tied to Breast Cancer.
As honorable as most of these offerings are, there have been more concerns raised about “pink ribbon abuse” and “pink-washing,” two terms that are most often used in regards to products that are donating to the cause while they may also be contributing to the illness. The most recent example is a fragrance that was commissioned by a large non-profit dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer. Many people are concerned that two of the frangrance’s ingredients have been linked to cancer.
At Alima Pure, we are well aware that not all claims that an ingredient is harmful are relevant to their use. You have to do your research. We hope that whenever you are faced with a “pink” product, or any other product, that you do your homework and check the ingredients to see if you are comfortable with their safety.
Breast Cancer is a cause that is close to our hearts for a number of reasons. But rather than create a special pink product for this month, we have decided that we simply would rather donate to the Breast Cancer Fund (BCF). At the end of October, we will be making a donation in the name of Alima Pure and our customers.
The BCF’s mission is “In response to the public health crisis of breast cancer, the Breast Cancer Fund identifies — and advocates for elimination of — the environmental and other preventable causes of the disease.” We think that sounds perfect. They are doing their research, and we encourage you to do yours. We think that when you do, you will be impressed with Alima Pure’s dedication to safe ingredients. After all, we wear the products; as do our mothers, daughters, aunts, cousins and friends. We make the products, so we have employees who are exposed to the ingredients. We are concerned for their safety, and yours.
The sun may still be shining, but you know it is coming…winter weather and the dry skin that goes with it. If you haven’t been wearing mineral makeup for long, you may wonder, how does this work when my skin gets drier? The answer? Very well!
It is a simple thing to make yourself a tinted moisturizer for days when your skin feels dry. When I do this, I moisturize as usual with a moisturizer that includes an SPF, and allow that to absorb. Then I take a lighter-weight lotion that does not have SPF (it just seems to mix easier, but you can experiment with anything you have on hand) and combine it in the palm of my hand with some of my foundation, mix and apply. If I want a little more coverage, I just apply a sheer layer of my foundation instead of a finishing powder, once the tinted moisturizer has dried down.
The same moisturizer can be mixed with blush or bronzer to give a dewy kiss of color to the cheeks. You can also mix it with our Luminous Shimmer Powder if you want a shimmering glow. Shimmer Powder or Bronzer can also mix with a body lotion to apply to legs or shoulders.
For the eyes, water is probably the best thing to mix with shadows and liners. It is certainly the most gentle, and it intensifies colors while keeping creasing to a minimum. To apply shadows or liners wet, you can transfer a bit of powder into a small bowl (or the jar lid) and add a couple of drops of water to get the consistency you want, then apply. If you don’t want the liner or shadow to be completely liquid, you can pick up some color on your brush and work it into the bristles, but then before you apply the color to the eye, spritz the bristles of the brush with a little water.
And finally, you can take your favorite untinted lip balm or gloss and mix it with any of our blushes to create a custom tinted lip gloss or balm. The blush shades can change slightly when they are added to a liquid, so you may want to experiment first by mixing them with some water in your hand to see if the color is what you want. Then you can either mix enough for just one application, or mix a little more and put it in an empty jar so you can take it with you for later.
Playing with your makeup can be fun, and the results can definitely benefit dry winter skin. Please let us know if you stumble on any creations that work exceptionally well!
Were you surprised to find a picture of a person in our newsletter? It is something we’ve struggled with–putting a model on a page may alienate people who can’t identify with that particular model. And the whole issue of Photoshop is problematic. If most cosmetics companies are using Photoshop to alter their advertising images, will we look bad next to them if we don’t? We think smart women know that makeup doesn’t make skin look flawless, Photoshop makes skin look flawless.
We started slowly, by experimenting with employees on our blog. Our real employees (and friends, sisters and daughters) volunteered to go in front of the camera to show how our makeup looks on real people. Not one reader complained that the women we featured were not gorgeous, 14-year-old models with perfect (or photoshopped perfect) skin, so we knew we were on the right track.
Welcome to the first installment of our Naturally Gorgeous campaign!
Our goal with this campaign is to showcase women. Women who have complex personalities and lives, diverse interests and concerns – and none of them need a trunk of products or a Photoshop expert to look Naturally Gorgeous. They are all gorgeous without a bit of makeup on their skin because of who they are and what they do, but we had fun enhancing their natural beauty with Alima Pure. We hope you enjoy meeting them!
Tara is a true northwest girl – born and raised in Washington state and a graduate from the University of Idaho. She lives in Portland where she works in advertising. Tara is an animal lover with an interesting approach – she recently adopted a cat to keep her dog company while she’s away at work. She’s been wearing Alima Pure for about 3 years.
AP: What surprises people about you?
TS: That I don’t really have a problem speaking my mind, or letting my personal views come out. People think I am quiet, but I say what I think.
AP: What inspires you?
TS: Making people proud of my accomplishments inspires me to do better in general.
AP: How do you define beauty?
TS: I think it comes more from confidence than physical beauty.
AP: Who would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?
TS: John Lennon, John F. Kennedy, George Harrison, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and myself.
AP: Wouldn’t you be a little concerned, having both JFK and Marilyn there?
TS: Not at all. You need some drama to have a good dinner party!
AP: What type of music are you loving lately?
TS: I’ve been listening to a lot of acoustic country.
AP: What is your biggest makeup challenge?
TS: Until I found Alima Pure, it was finding a foundation that didn’t feel heavy but still gave me great coverage.
To get Tara’s look:
We applied Beige 4 with a #25 brush, then swirled Soft Plum Satin Matte Blush to the apples of her cheeks and blended it back towards her hairline.
We went with yellow and orange-based shades to emphasize Tara’s gorgeous blue eyes, as if they need any more emphasis! Buttercream Luminous Shimmer Shadow was applied with a #37 brush from her crease to her brows, and Leone Luminous Shimmer Shadow went from lashes to crease with the #39. Brown Sugar Luminous Shimmer Shadow went in the crease with the #36 brush. A damp #33 Angle Liner Brush dipped in Paparazzi Luminous Shimmer Eyeliner lined her upper lashes, and a bit more Leone smudged under her eyes with the #31 Fine Liner Brush.
To finish, we filled in her brows with Brunette Satin Matte Shadow on the #33 Angle Liner Brush. Lips were glossed with Fig Organic Nourishing Lip Balm.
Have you ever wondered what makes our #23 Kitten Brush so special? As I was explaining to it a customer yesterday, I realized that many people may never have stopped to think what it is about that brush that makes it possible to use just about any blush, bronzer or shimmer powder (no matter how intense the color or shimmer) and look as if it were the perfect choice for your skin!
The secret is in the bristles. In a traditional brush of this style, often called a “duo-fiber” or “dual-fiber” brush, the white bristles are synthetic and the black are animal hair. Of course, Alima Pure would not use animal hair in our brushes, so ours are all the highest quality synthetic. This means that all of our bristles are soft and gentle, not just the white ones. They will not irritate those who suffer from animal allergies.
The real key to a brush like this though, is that the white bristles are longer. Since only about half the bristles are white, there are roughly half as many bristles that pick up color as would do so with a regular blush or powder brush. Half as many bristles in the product means half as much color is picked up, which in turn means much less intensity. This is the brush for when you want a sheer application. The real beauty of the brush though, is when you apply it to your face, the white bristles and the black bristles will both touch your face. All of the bristles participate in blending the color, so the look is almost air-brushed, with no harsh lines.
So if you’re thinking you might need a lighter bronzer for fall, or if your favorite new blush is looking a little bright as your tan fades, no worries–the #23 Kitten Brush is the right tool for the job.
In the first two posts we did an every day look that is appropriate for anyone who wants a very simple look for daytime. But now let’s get a little more bold and do a look for a date night or prom.
As the mother of a teenage daughter who has minimal interest in cosmetics, semi-formal dances are the one of the only times where my skills are requested.
For this look, we again applied Natalie’s Beige 3 Satin Matte Foundation, but we went a bit stronger on the blush, using Satin Matte Blush in Pink just from the apples of the cheeks and back towards her hairline.
Eyes are the feature that most people choose to play up for a more dramatic look, and we did as well, going for a smoky look. We applied Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow in Lana all over the eye area, from lashes to brows. On the lids, from lashes to above the crease, we used Pearluster shadow Zen, and then right along the lash-line, we applied Luminous Shimmer Eyeliner in Koan with the #36 Pointed Crease Brush. (It’s densely packed bristles make it perfect for laying down a lot of color.) This blended up into the Zen, creating almost an ombre effect. Then with the #33 Angle Liner brush dampened with water, we applied Satin Matte Eyeliner in Black along the upper and lower lash line.
To finish off the look, we used the #23 Kitten Brush to apply a light dusting of Luminous Shimmer Powder in D’Oro along Natalie’s cheekbones, across her forehead and lightly down the center of her nose and chin. If she were dressed in a dress that showed off her shoulders or decollete, we would brush some on any exposed skin as well. Organic Nourishing Lip Balm in Sweet Pea went on Natalie’s lips, and would tuck into her bag with her cell phone and ID as she headed out the door for a night to remember!
Kara has worked for Alima Pure for three years and is a photography student at a local school. She has been doing the photography of our products, as well as employees for the blog. Of course, for this particular post, Sara had to step in to photograph Kara and she did an amazing job!
Kara has beautiful olive skin that tans if she even looks at the sun. At the point in the summer that we took this photo, Kara was wearing Satin Matte Foundation in Olive 1.5. On her cheeks, we added Satin Matte Blush in Bisque.
On Kara’s eyes, we used Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadows in Venus from crease to brows and Truffle from lashes to crease. Tigereye went into the crease and concentrated at the outer corner of the eye. Paparazzi Luminous Shimmer Eyeliner was applied wet to the lash-line with our #33 Angle Liner Brush.
To finish, we applied our Holly Berry Organic Nourishing Lip Balm. We think Kara looks stunning!
I recently used up an entire Alima Pure eyeshadow. If you own any of our shadows, you know that this is not all that easy to do! The shadows last a long time, to say the least. But Gazelle Luminous Shimmer Shadow has overtaken all other shadows as my “go-to.” When you wear an eyeshadow daily, it does eventually run out!
What is it about Gazelle that makes it so perfect? Well, for me at least, everything! The shade, a soft beige that is not too far from my natural skin tone (Beige 2). But what makes it really special is the shimmer. It’s not sparkly like some of the other Luminous Shimmer Shadows, but it is not pearly like a Pearluster. It is just the right amount of shimmer to brighten up my eye area without looking inappropriate for my age.
If your skin is more of a neutral or cool, and maybe slightly deeper, Chai Luminous Shimmer Shadow may end up being the “go-to” shade for you. I just used it on a Neutral 5 today, and the effect was similar to Gazelle on my skin, and it was beautiful! If you have darker skin, Palomino Luminous Shimmer Shadow would fit the bill for you.
And here’s a little good news, if you happen to be looking for an entire set that is perfect for every day, our Simply Perfect Collection is available on the website for a limited time only. It contains my favorite Gazelle, but also Luminous Shimmer Eyeshadow in Tigereye and Satin Matte Blush in Pink. It is a great set for daily wear or as a gift to introduce someone to the wonders of Alima Pure mineral cosmetics!
Tracey is the Alima Pure Lab Manager, so she knows our colors as well as anyone! She likes to wear colors that enhance her features without looking like she’s wearing much, so her favorites include mostly matte colors.
Tracey wears Satin Matte Foundation in Beige 3 and then we added a light dusting of Satin Finishing Powder in Keiko. We brushed Satin Matte Blush in Honey Rose to the apples of her cheeks.
For eyes, we used Satin Matte Eyeshadow in Vanilla as a base, from lashes to brows. Then we used Satin Matte Mohair on the lid. The lone bit of shimmer, Pearluster Eyeshadow in Mocha, went into the crease. Before lining, we used the #33 brush with Satin Matte Eyeshadow in Raven to fill in Tracey’s brows, then we wiped the brush off, dampened it and used it to line her upper lash line with Satin Matte Eyeliner in Espresso.
The finishing touch is our Organic Nourishing Lip Balm in Mango. As you can see, these shades give Tracey a polished, professional look without looking overdone!
